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2010/07/26

A Chicken by any other Name - I

Cooking chicken is pretty boring . Washing the pieces if you have bought it fresh takes the mickey out of me and by the time I have graduated to cooking it I have lost all interest and bunged it in the wok with some chopped onions and garlic and covered it and then praised the Lord when the children have eaten it . Not that I'm on the lookout for chicken recipes , mind you,but when one comes across something as uncomplicated and interesting as this one posted by my blogger pal Sandeepa , then one sits up and takes notice and goes out to buy some chicken breasts , nicely cleaned and trimmed of all fat and picks some tulsi leaves to substitute for the basil and lets rip. The result is not bad although I say so myself .

The Recipe - Giada's grilled chicken with basil dressing , tarted up a little by me

500 gm boneless chicken breasts

1/4 cup olive oil

freshly ground pepper

fennel seeds roasted and powdered - 1 1/2 tsp

salt

2tbsp lemon juice freshly squeezed

Whisk the marinade ingredients together and rub the mix into the chicken and reserve for about 2 hrs .

Blend two fistfuls of tulsi or if you are lucky,basil , along with a bunch of mint leaves and 2 chopped cloves of garlic .Add a tsp of lemon juice and some lemon zest along with a little salt and pepper to the blend .Whisk it thoroughly and start adding the olive oil till it is blended through and is a lovely translucent green .

Grill the chicken breasts or fry them in a nonstick pan . You wont need any oil . Douse with the basil - mint dressing and serve . I cooked the marinate through and used it as an additional sauce , not that anyone wanted it - the basil-mint concoction was so good .

Serve with a good crusty bread , boiled veggies tossed in a little butter and some mushrooms cooked with oregano and peppercorns .